My Best Friend's Brother // Young Love Book 1 ✔️

My Best Friend's Brother Ch. 48

Chapter 48

I let him leave. Just like that, I let him shut me out. What was I meant to do if he started to go back to being his old, distant self? I couldn't have that, not know--I'd gotten too attached to him. He was too important to me, more than he'd ever been before. I couldn't just let him remove himself from my life without so much as a call. Our friendship was more than this; more than a quiet fallout. He may be right, this plan was messed up, but I refuse to let it end like this. It couldn't end this way, where I was too scared to talk to him and he was too angry to discuss anything. I'd rather lose this weird thing that I didn't understand than the friendship. I think I'd miss him too much.

As I stared off into distance, his words continued to resonate in my head. It's not supposed to work. It echoed over and over like an annoying broken record. It made my stomach churn as I laid on my back, made me want to rethink everything. Should I have gone out with Drew? Should I have followed him that night? Should I have told him what I felt--that I liked, or even loved, him? Unfortunately, the only thing I could possibly do now is to wait it out. He ran, but I can't just go chasing after him--it's not that simple. I needed to give him time, that was what he would want me to do.

I laid motionless as I recalled what happened for the umpteenth time. It was a few minutes after Charlie's episode when Drew came out of the restaurant looking for me, concerned as always. He said I didn't look too good, that I seemed pale and really shaken. He took me home with much determination. Of course, I asked him not to. It was just common courtesy, after all. "Come on, Elouise," he'd said, "as if I'd actually let you walk home." Eventually, I understood his logic--not that his persistence wavered over time. Once I was sure that he'd already paid for our food, I kindly asked him to take me to Cindy's. She's been calling and texting me non-stop, looking for both me and her brother. From the sound of her frantic voice, I knew she was incredibly worried. Cindy knew her brother was capable of doing really stupid things. After Drew had dropped me off at Cindy's, I gave him a quick thank you for the dinner, albeit it ended on a bad note, and practically ran to the front door. Cindy opened the door, her face full of panic. She hugged me, proceeding to drag me to her room. I fell back on the bed as soon as she closed the door shut. I guess that leads me here, on her bed, contemplating what ifs.

"What happened back there? I swear the plan was full-proof," I said, staring at the ceiling, wondering where I went wrong.

Cindy sighed heavily, laying down next to me. "Well, you didn't exactly have a plan if Charlie was the one who decided to back out."

"No, this can't be happening," I grumbled, closing my eyes tightly. I wish I could just will this to disappear. "I didn't think your brother was capable of doing such a thing. I mean, the aim was to get my sister to fall in love with him, and then hopefully, they would just ride off into the sunset together."

"Elouise?" Cindy asked cautiously, looking at me as she sat up.

"Yes, Cindy?" I replied, still frowning.

"You like my brother," she said it slow, as if she was an adult talking to a child.

"What are you getting at?"

Clearing her throat, she gave me a different sort of worried look. This time, she seemed more concerned about me. "Have you ever considered that he might like you back?" she said, fixated on me. "That maybe it was just all in your head?"

I sat up, levelling my eyes with her. "I--he--why else would he fall through with the plan?" Or at least, the first half of it, I thought.

"Why do you think he made Diana's uncle turn the yatch around? Why the hell would he barge in at the restaurant, Eli?" Cindy retorted, her eyes a dark shade of grey. It scared me when her eyes did that. "It's because that boy cares. He cares enough to do something that he thinks will make you happy. I saw it in his eyes, he only went on that yacht because you wanted him to."